


An Idol's Idol

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 00:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: Mari comes back for the winter break with a surprise for Dia. The testing of Dia's patience is never a surprise, but she's actually gonna be shocked by what Mari's cooked up this time.





	An Idol's Idol

**Author's Note:**

> This is my secret santa for @dropsof_snow (on Twitter). Merry (late) Christmas! Hope you enjoy it!

"Oh Diaaa! You'll never guess what I got for you!" Mari's voice screeched through Dia's phone speakers, forcing her to pull it away from her ear so she didn't lose her hearing. She wasn't surprised to get this call from Mari, since she'd already said that she'd be back home from university that day. She also liked to bring her and Kanan souvenirs from Italy, so having a conversation starter like that also wasn't surprising. Did she have to be so loud, though?

"Mari, there's no need to be so loud. I'm sure whatever you've gotten for me can be expressed with your indoor voice." Sometimes it felt like she was dealing with a child who had magically reached young adulthood. It could be a real hassle, but she was the one who'd said yes to being Mari's girlfriend, so she'd signed up for this kind of behavior. She could only blame herself for that... though she'd sure try to blame anyone else if she could help it.

"That's where you're wrong, my dear diamond. This is worth shouting about. Don't you wanna guess what I got you?" Lest she forget, Mari could be annoying even when speaking at a regular volume.

"I'm not going to guess, Mari. There's a small chance I'd get it right anyway. Just tell me what it is." She'd never liked people asking someone else to guess what was happening. Why did they have to guess? She'd noticed that the person who asked initially wanted whoever they were talking to to get it wrong anyway, so what was the point? Just to appear superior? Well, she didn't need falsehoods like that. She already knew that she was superior.

"You're no fun!" Even through the phone, she could imagine her pouting something fierce. Of course, it wouldn't last long. It never did, and she'd be back to her cheery self in no time. "Okay, I'll tell you. It's... drum roll, please!" Dia didn't even say anything. She let her silence do the talking. "Tough crowd. Alright, it's... a trip to Tokyo!"

"A trip to... Mari..." Dia sighed. She took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. _'Stay calm, Dia. Stay calm.'_ "You know I go to a rather prestigious university, correct?"

"Yup!"

"And you know that university is in Tokyo, correct?"

"Sure do." Was this really not getting through to her? Unbelievable... Dia could feel her attempts at being calm failing miserably.

"Mari..."

"Yesss?"

"I'm in Tokyo _right now_ , you dunce!" She wasn't asking for gifts. Far be it from her to be so materialistic like that. She didn't wait with bated breath for Mari to come swooping in with some trinket from a foreign country. It wasn't a 'what' she was waiting for, but a 'who': specifically, Mari. She didn't need any gifts, because Mari was the only gift she needed and all that romantic jazz. Despite that, she didn't really think a trip to the place she was currently living in was a very good gift. "Why would I want to go to the place that I'm already in?"

"Oh, you'll see." More cryptic stuff? Why couldn't she just know what was going on? "I'm outside your dorm, by the way. Come on down so we can get going!"

"Wait, what? Why are you already here? What if I said that I wasn't ready?"

"Then I'd park out here and stand outside your door until you opened it when you inevitably had to leave your room."

"You are so weird." Sighing, Dia got up and grabbed her jacket. "I'll be right down."

"Shiny-" She hung up on Mari before she could finish, putting on her jacket and pocketing her phone. This was going to be one of those days, wasn't it?

* * *

They were driving down the streets of Tokyo, the buildings slipping in and out of Dia's vision. She looked from the window over to Mari, who was as chipper as always. Her lips were curled into a smile as she hummed along to a song on the radio, which was admittedly a nice sight to behold. She liked seeing Mari like this. Well, she like seeing Mari all the time, but this was one of those moments that were better than normal. Mostly because she was happy and content, but also because that contentedness meant that she wasn't being overly loud and obnoxious.

"So where exactly are we going? You haven't told me anything yet. Nothing besides 'Tokyo'."

"Patience, my dear. We're almost there."

"My patience is running thin, _Mari dear_." She huffed and sat back in her seat, returning to stare out the window. It was bothering her to no end that she didn't know where they were going. She wasn't much of a surprise person, because that took control out of her hands. Both Kanan and Mari had told her more than once that she was a bit of a control freak, but was that such a bad thing? Who else was better at being in control than herself? What was so great about a surprise anyway? She'd find out eventually, so why not just tell her immediately? Probably because it brought Mari a stupid amount of joy that she was frustrating her.

"Your patience should catch its breath. Running too much will explode your heart. Oh! We're here!" It was a good thing too, because Dia was about to go off on a diatribe about how hearts didn't explode like that, and also she didn't need to be told anything about her patience. Maybe Mari had planned that perfectly so that them reaching their destination would cut her off right before the payoff of yelling at her. Damn that Mari.

Mari shut off the car and got out, with Dia following suit. She stood outside the car and looked up at the building they'd parked in front of. It was medium height, brick-red, and unassuming. Only a sign next to the front door revealed that there were multiple businesses inside. So it was one of those, then. She moved closer to see what they were, but none of them screamed 'Surprise!' to her. There was a dance studio, an office for help on tax filing, and a handful of other, somehow less interesting businesses. What in the world were they doing there? She didn't need help filing her taxes, thank you very much.

The small hope that this wasn't actually where they were going was dashed when Mari entered the building. Sighing, Dia shook her head as she followed her inside. At least it was warmer inside, which was all the place had going for it at that point. She'd had a feeling during the drive over that this was going to be one of Mari's infamous jokes, and now she was even more convinced. Normally Mari wouldn't take so much time to set it up, but they were university girls now. Maybe that was something that she was learning over in Europe. Honestly... Her damn jokes should've been banned in the Geneva Convention.

They walked up the stairs to the second floor, with Dia's rage simmering down to a frustrated resignation with each step. It was obvious that this was a joke, and that when they got to wherever their final destination was, Mari was going to proclaim 'It's joke!', smile that sweet smile of hers, and get away with it. Then she'd convince Dia to make out in a storage closet or some other covert place. She was too damn weak to her luscious lemon sometimes. It was the distance apart, certainly. Having to go months without seeing her girlfriend made her more willing to go along with whatever crazy idea Mari came up with. There was no way it was because she'd just done whatever Mari said before they went to university. That was never ever the case, and she would rather no one tried bringing that up again.

"Here we are!" Mari stood next to a door and stuck her hands out, as if showing off the coolest thing possible. Yet, it was a door. A door with the words 'Cute and Clever Dance Studio' above it. Quirking an eyebrow at the familiar title, Dia walked over to the door. This was so stupid, and Mari was so stupid for bringing her here for God knows what reason, but there was something about the name of the dance studio that caught her attention. She felt compelled to walk over and take a look through the door's little window, just to see what was going on inside.

What she was able to see were kids dancing. Well, of course. It was a dance studio. Was Mari trying to say that she needed dance lessons? The nerve! She was the best dancer in Aqours! Just don't ask anyone else that question. Sure, Aqours had been broken up for about two years now, but that didn't mean her rhythm was off. If she wanted to, she could bust a move right there in the hallway! And that was a very embarrassing thought. She needed to look back into the room just for the distraction.

The room was rather sparse, but that made sense. It was a dance studio, so they needed room for all the kids to move around. Okay, so what about the teacher? She glanced over towards the front of the room, finding the teacher standing there and seemingly instructing the students. That's what appeared to be happening anyway, since she couldn't hear much through the door. There was something familiar about the instructor, though. Her blonde ponytail bounced slightly as she clapped her hands to the rhythm, watching the children perform with icy blue eyes-

"Oh my God." Dia backed away from the door, her eyes wide as saucers. Not even dinnerware saucers. Like... flying saucers. "Oh my God!" She slapped her hands against her cheeks, starting to breathe heavily as she walked towards the stairs. Then she walked back, staring in disbelief at the door. With shaky breaths, she looked back into the room to see the instructor once more. There could be no doubt who it was. "Oh my God oh my God!" She nearly tripped over her own feet as she stormed over towards Mari. "That's Eli! Eli Ayase!" She pointed at the door, having trouble processing what she'd just seen.

"Dia, that's a door." She dropped her hands from her face, just staring at Mari, who was grinning so hard it had to hurt. Dia bit down hard on her bottom lip, letting out an aggravated hiss as she stomped her foot against the floor, curling her hands into fists and swinging her arms back in complete frustration.

"Why are you like this?!" She wanted to upgrade her current fit to a full blown tantrum, but there were more pressing matters at the moment. Specifically, Eli Ayase, her idol idol from her younger teenage years, was just behind that wall. The woman that she'd obsessed over as a starstruck middle school student was in the same building as her. They were breathing the same air! She took in a big gulp of air, as if to fully ingratiate herself with the notion that Eli had been here. Maybe they'd stood in the same spot. "How did you know she would be here?! I couldn't find any information about her whereabouts after university!"

"Oh, a little birdy told me." She couldn't stop herself from grinning, positively beaming at the mixture of dueling emotions on Dia's face. A couple months back, she'd bought herself a dress as a pick-me-up because her favorite coffee shop was out of her preferred blend. Lo and behold, the designer was none other than one Kotori Minami. Knowing how much Dia loved Muse, she figured she could get her girlfriend something nice that came from that world. She had enough money that she was sure she could get in touch with Kotori and have her design a special dress.

That was her plan originally, but her charming, chatty self ended up striking up a friendship with the affable designer. Since she was talking to a member of Muse, she figured she might as well ask about Eli. Surely Kotori would know about what was going on with the rest of her friends, she could pass on that information to Dia. She'd enjoy it as a once-admitted Eli fangirl, though she didn't need to admit it for Mari to know the truth. All the posters and figurines of Eli kind of gave it away, and it was her dancing style that Dia tried to emulate during the first incarnation of Aqours. So 'fangirl' was maybe putting it mildly.

When she found out that Eli was running a dance studio in Tokyo, all thoughts of the dress left her mind. True, she still had it made, but it no longer felt like the greatest gift she could give Dia. Leading her directly to Eli? Now that was a gift from the Heavens. At least to a mega-fangirl like Dia. She could deny it all she wanted, saying that her idol-loving days were in the past. Mari knew better, though. There would always be room in Dia's heart for two blondes with foreigner blood. Not in a jealous, 'You tryin' to steal my woman?!' kinda way. She was like 76% sure Dia wouldn't leave her for Eli.

"We have to go. Now." Dia grabbed Mari's hand, trying to forcefully pull her down the stairs. There was utter panic on her face, and she wasn't very successful in getting Mari to move. "Mari, come on! We can't stay here! I don't know what to say to her!" She wasn't ready for this. When she was younger, she'd dreamed of this moment so often. She'd spoke excitedly with Ruby about what the two of them might say if they were to meet Eli and Hanayo. That was years ago, though. Now she was in university and that idealistic confidence had been taken as part of her tuition. With her thirteen-year-old self's dream right within her grasp, she was too terrified of messing up or saying the wrong thing to close her hand on it.

"Dia, come back here." Mari tugged back on Dia's hand, nearly yanking her off her feet. "That's your idol, isn't it?" Dia nodded shakily. "Then you gotta meet her! This was why you were put on this earth! Besides loving me, of course." She started heading back for the door, dragging a resistant Dia with her. Honestly, all Dia needed to do was press her heels against the ground to stop them from moving to make a great impression of a five year old. "Dia." She stopped just outside the door, turning to Dia with a surprisingly stern expression. "Who am I?"

"What? Uh... You're Mari Ohara?"

"And what do Oharas always get?"

"What... What they want-"

"And what I want right now is for you to meet Eli Ayase. So either you're going to stand here like the dignified business woman in training that I know you are, or you can try to escape my full nelson before I make you meet her. Just remember two very important things. One..." She knocked hard on the studio door. "I just knocked on the door, so she'll be opening it any second, and two, you've never escaped my full nelson. So good luck." Dia couldn't even try to run at this point. She was just utterly flabbergasted at how prepared Mari was for this.

Then the door began to open, and the panic set in once again. Dia desperately tried to appear presentable, standing up straight and holding her head up high. She couldn't hide her shaking hands, though, or the nervous expression on her face. Mari was able to deal with this because she didn't have a special idol that she held near and dear to her heart. This was huge for Dia. Too much, really. Ruby wasn't going to believe that this meeting took place. She wasn't exactly sure it was real herself. Maybe she'd hit her head somewhere and she was dreaming.

Watching the door open and seeing Eli Ayase standing there felt all too real, though. That really was her: the real deal Eli Ayase. The cute and clever Elichika. She was standing right there, staring at them with confusion in her incredible eyes. Dia knew she was shaking, but she couldn't get her body to stop doing that. She sent mental signals demanding calm as hard as she could, but her body wasn't reacting properly. If anything, it was making things worse. Oh God, this was exactly why she didn't want to meet Eli! How could she leave her room again knowing that her idol thought her a weirdo?

"Can I help you?" It didn't seem like she even knew they were coming over, which... admittedly was not surprising. This was exactly the kind of thing Mari would do. She always jumped into things without making sure others were ready to do it. So she'd found out where Eli worked, dragged Dia over there, and hadn't even warned the poor woman that they were coming. Typical Mari.

"You're helping just by standing there." Mari grinned and locked arms with Dia, pulling her as close as possible. "This is my lovely girlfriend, Dia. She's been a big fan of yours since she was in middle school. It's such a thrill to actually get to meet you in person!" That was one way to put it. Eli didn't seem confused anymore, but she still was trying to process what exactly was going on. She turned to Dia, who had frozen on the spot even before Eli's eyes were on her.

"Eli Ayase." Dia's voice shook, but at least she was speaking. She'd been afraid her lips wouldn't even bother to work anymore. "My name is Dia Kurosawa. It is an honor to meet you." She stuck her hand out for a customary handshake, but she was a bit too eager with her actions. Rather than lifting up her arm normally, she thrust it out and hit Eli in the arm with her hand. Her eyes widened with horror as her cheeks turned red. "I-I'm so sorry!" She felt her spirit leaving her body when she heard Mari's barely-contained laughter next to her.

"It's okay. It didn't hurt." Eli laughed, which made Dia want to curl up into the fetal position, ghost through the floor, and never return to this mortal realm. "I'm flattered that you're such a big fan, but you don't have to be so worried. I'm just a regular dance instructor now." She chuckled warmly, holding out her hand for a second try at the handshake. This time Dia was able to complete it without utterly embarrassing herself, but her mind was still working overtime throughout the five seconds that constituted their handshake. She could feel the sweat on her palm, and she was terrified that Eli would find her creepy because of it. Why did Mari have to do this to her? More importantly, why did she have to do this to herself?

"You're a goddess in human form." Alright, it seemed as if 'acting like a normal human being' time was over. Her face burned bright red as her arm fell back to her side. She was dying out here, and she looked at Mari desperately for some sort of life preserver. Mari just smiled and winked at her. There would be no rescue. She was going to die out here by her own design. The absolute horror.

"Well, that's certainly flattering." Eli laughed again, but there was an edge of awkwardness in her tone. Yup, this was the end. She was going to hurl herself from the top of the stairs, and nobody was going to stop her. "Hey, I've still got a class to teach, but I'll be done in a few minutes. If you want to wait for me, we can talk more freely then." She smiled, her brilliant pearly whites making Dia's mind melt. All she could do was nod brainlessly, staring at the spot Eli stood as she went back into the studio room and shut the door.

"Wow, that was incredible. You really are the biggest Eli fangirl." Mari grinned from ear to ear, leaning in close to Dia. "Should I be worried about another blonde stealing your heart?" Dia groaned and yanked her arm away from Mari, walking to a chair outside of the tax help office and slumping into it. Giggling to herself, Mari followed and sat in the other chair, leaning over the armrest to smile fondly at her.

"Why did you do this to me, Mari?" Dia hid her face in her hands, wishing for the darkness to swallow her whole. "I made a complete fool of myself in front of Eli. Eli! You don't understand. You never understood how incredible idols are, especially Muse. They saved Love Live! Arifureta Kanashimi no Hate is one of the biggest bangers of all time! Of all time!" She slid her hands down her face, turning to glare at Mari. "It's like if you made a fool of yourself in front of Giorgio Armani!"

"As if. Georgie would never judge me like that." She loved when Dia freaked out about mostly inconsequential things. It showed that she wasn't just a wall of stern ice. She had heart and soul, and sometimes she made a fool of herself. It made her human, and it just made Mari love her more. "Besides, I'm sure Eli doesn't mind. She didn't ask us to talk after her class for nothing." That's true. There was no denying that Eli had said that. That still made her nervous, though. This gave her more of a chance to make a fool of herself.

While they waited, Mari pulled out her phone and browsed the web, but Dia couldn't concentrate on such things. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of Eli, and what she would say when they finally sat down to talk. This was one of the most important moments of her life, and she couldn't dare mess it up again. She had to be prepared, just like her middle school self had been. Being a stuttering mess wasn't the Kurosawa way. She had idol experience, just like Eli. She was the former student council president, just like Eli. They had lots of important stuff in common. She could do this!

A few minutes passed, and then the door to the studio opened. Kids began filing out one by one, waving to each other as they headed for the stairs. Dia clasped her hands together as she watched them all leaving, her nerves shooting back up again. Eventually Eli would come out of that room, and they would be ready to converse. Well, two of them would be ready. Dia wasn't sure she ever could be ready. Was anyone really, truly ready to meet their idols?

Then Eli was standing in the doorway, waving her hand to invite them in. Both her and Mari stood up and headed for the room, with Dia surreptitiously trying to wipe the sweat from her hands off on her pants. At least Eli hadn't tried to bolt through the window in an attempt to escape them, though she wouldn't have blamed her if she did. She'd been considering the same, and she was the one fangirling. Honestly, this probably happened so many times to Eli that she was bored of the whole proceedings. After all, who wouldn't lose their minds in joy upon seeing the best idol the world had ever seen just walking down the street like a regular person?

"So, you're a fan, huh?" Eli was back to standing at the front of the room, looking at them both curiously. "Don't get many of those anymore. It's been enough years that we're not as noticed on the street as we used to be." That seemed shocking to Dia. Impossible, even. How did people not notice that they were walking amongst royalty? It didn't even matter how many years had passed. Once you experienced the joys of those idols, you never forgot them. All nine of them were still precious to her, even after her own days in the idol spotlight had passed. Eli didn't even look much different than her high school days. Sure, she was a bit taller, and obviously more adult-like, but she would always recognize her.

"With all due respect, I find that hard to believe. You were part of the biggest idol group of this generation. Love Live wouldn't be as huge as it is now without what you did back then. Your merchandise still sells well even to this day. I cannot believe that people could walk down the street and not recognize who you are. It's... It's disgraceful. Disgusting. It's... It's..."

"Despicable," Mari chimed in, grinning. "When Muse broke up, she was inconsolable. She locked herself in her room and cried all weekend." Dia blushed hard, glaring daggers at Mari. Just because it was true didn't mean she had to say it. Especially not to Eli! "You were her idol idol. That's why we started Aqours: to be like you and your group." She smiled, remembering when Dia and Kanan asked her to join their fledgling idol group. Back then, it was those two who were dragging her into crazy adventures. My, how times had changed.

"Aqours, huh?" Eli rubbed her chin in thought, then snapped her fingers in realization. "Oh, Aqours! Yeah, I remember that name. Your group won Love Live a couple years back. Nico and Hanayo would keep us updated on your progress sometimes." That perked both of them up in an instant. Muse had been keeping track of their career? That was information they were sure to treasure for the rest of their days. Dia was already prepared to make a call to Ruby as soon as she could to tell her. This would be the cherry on top of an already exciting topic of meeting Eli. Ruby was going to flip!

"You were such an inspiration to us! The way you all banded together to save your school was what we were trying to do too. When we reformed the group, I mean. We wouldn't have been able to do it without your guidance." Well, they technically didn't give them any guidance, but Dia felt like they had. Spiritually, at least. "Chika loved you all too. Not as much as I did, but she was up there. Her discovery of your group led to our reformation."

"She sounds like Honoka. It was her discovering A-Rise that led to our own group's creation." That was true. Dia knew the group's entire history, so she knew about how Honoka had been the one to kickstart Muse. Chika and Honoka really did have a lot in common, and it wasn't just because they both were carrot tops. They both were forward-moving bundles of energy without whom their respective groups would've been lost. They were a bit clumsy too, which was something Dia had always considered an endearing part of Honoka's personality. She'd never realized how aggravating it could be until she had to watch Chika fumble around with various tasks every other day. Maybe she'd been looking at Honoka's own nature with rose-tinted glasses.

"They both do seem to have similar personalities. She convinced you to join the group, didn't she?" That was one of the best things Honoka ever did. Could Muse even exist without Eli's dancing skills and stern, guiding hand?

"She did. I was hesitant at first, but she and her friends didn't give up. I admire that tenacity." She smiled fondly at the memories. That hadn't been a good moment at the time, but now looking back, she knew that it was an important moment in her life. Speaking of important moments in her life... "Ah, it's getting late. I'm supposed to take my wife to dinner tonight." She looked from Dia to Mari, smiling at the two of them. "If you'd both like to join us for dinner, we could continue this conversation over some good food. It can be a double date."

"Absolutely!" Dia didn't even look over to confirm this with Mari. This was too important of an opportunity to waste time with things like making sure her partner was okay with it. This was going to be the best dinner she'd ever had!

"Is your wife okay with this?" Mari rolled her eyes at Dia making that decision for the both of them, but she would've said yes anyway. They didn't get to go on many double dates, with the whole 'being in Italy most of the time' deal.

"Probably." Eli laughed, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Meet us at Chavez Ravine in half an hour." With that settled, the three of them left the room. Dia and Mari went down the stairs while Eli locked up, and then they were off in separate directions. Eli headed home while Dia and Mari looked up directions for the restaurant.

"This is incredible! We're having dinner with Eli! And with her wife too! That means Nozomi will be there!" The mainstream media had missed out on reporting the marriage between Eli and Nozomi, but her favorite idol blog had all the details. She'd been so happy for those two, and now she was going to get to meet them both over dinner. It was an incredibly exciting day.

"You seem pretty excited about all this." Mari smirked slightly as she looked at her phone for the address to the restaurant they were going to. "I told you I had a good present for you, but you didn't believe me."

"I apologize, Mari. You were right." That hurt to admit, but she'd learned from being in a relationship that sometimes you had to admit you were wrong. "I just didn't expect you'd be able to do something like this." Before buckling herself in, she leaned over and gave Mari a hug. It was a bit awkward due to their positions within the car, but it held more meaning than most hugs she'd ever given before. "Thank you, Mari. This is the best gift you could've ever given me."

"No problem! You know I always come through." She hugged Dia back, positively beaming. Seeing her girlfriend so happy was what she lived for. With the car full of good vibes, Mari found the restaurant and drove the two of them to it. Unlike the drive to the studio, which involved a very annoyed Dia, the drive to the restaurant involved a very happy Dia. She wasn't much of a casual conversationalist usually, but she was unusually chipper the whole way there. All of what she was saying involved idols, but that just made it seem like middle school again. Those were fond memories that Mari didn't mind revisiting. Happy wife, happy life, all that stuff.

They got to the restaurant early, which meant there was time to get back to worrying about what they were about to walk into. Dia sat in the car, staring out the window to make sure she didn't miss Eli and/or Nozomi heading for the front door. She could feel her anxiety about this entire dinner creeping back up, until her entire body was shaking again. Was this really going to be okay? Could she really get through an entire meal without making a fool of herself in front of two people whom she desperately wanted to impress?

"Hey, Dia." Mari drew Dia's attention onto her. She smiled and put her hands on Dia's. "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna go in there and have a normal conversation with those two. You won't make a fool of yourself, alright?" Dia bit her lip, still unsure. "I'll be there too, you know? Just take a deep breath and remember that you've been wanting this for so many years." She was right. This had been a dream of hers for years, and now it was mere steps away. She couldn't allow her brain to psyche her out. How had it gotten so bad that Mari was now the voice of reason?

"You're right... again. You need to stop that this instant."

"Ooh, I love it when you admit I'm right. Say it again."

"No." Dia crossed her arms and looked back out the window. She stayed ever vigilant, watching the door like a sentry. Five minutes later, there was a familiar couple walking towards the door. It was them. Dia's heart was beating faster in her chest as she unbuckled her seatbelt and hurried out of the car to get over to them. Mari, however, had no such haste, and her casual speed was driving Dia bonkers.

"Any day now," she muttered, putting a hand over her heart. It was pounding now, making her wonder if she was going to have a heart attack before even getting inside. That'd be one hell of a downer. They did get in without any heart trouble, but she could hear her heartbeat in her ears with each step she took inside. Standing at the front, the guy at the desk asked if they wanted a table for two. She was about to say they were here with another couple, but then she saw Eli sitting at a nearby table, waving her over. Her voice left her, and she just pointed meekly over at Eli's table. The guy at the front looked over, then nodded and allowed them to pass.

"Breathe, Dia, breathe!" Mari whispered in her ear, trying to get her to loosen up. She saw the tenseness in Dia's shoulders and the way her hands were shaking: telltale signs that she was nervous as all hell. For someone who liked to remain impassive, she was pretty easy to read. "Just smile and act natural. Act like yourself! They're gonna love you!" That was all the advice she could give before the two of them had reached the table. Dia just stood behind one of the empty chairs, not exactly taking that advice to heart.

"Please, sit down." Eli's words seemed to break through to Dia, who took a seat without a word. Mari sat next to her, across from Nozomi, who was watching the two of them with a soft smile and curious eyes. She knew that she was going to have to put in work on the conversation until Dia broke out of her starstruck stupor. "I hope you didn't have any trouble getting here."

"Not at all. I hope we aren't interrupting anything important between you two."

"Oh, don't worry about that." It was Nozomi who spoke up this time. "We don't mind the company on our date night, especially since you're fans of ours." Mari felt a strange sensation when Nozomi looked at her. It was like she could see right through her, which was both unnerving and made her wonder where she could get that kind of power. This must be part of Nozomi's famous 'sixth sense' that Dia had talked about before. Speaking of Dia, the poor girl didn't seem to be doing much better. She could say all the encouraging words in the world, but it seemed to pale in comparison to Dia's own worries.

"Dia's the one who's the really big fan. She loves your idol group." Covertly slipping a hand beneath the table, she soothingly rubbed Dia's leg, trying to coax her back to reality. "She knows more about you all than I could ever hope to remember." Dia really did have a lot of knowledge of Muse, along with a plethora of other idol groups. Too much knowledge, really. It took both her and Kanan's combined powers to stop Dia from instituting a weekly trivia session exclusively filled with idol questions. Neither of them would've stood a chance, and they kind of, sort of didn't care too much to.

"Oh? Is that so?" Now Nozomi's eyes were on Dia, who suddenly looked like she was about to cry. For her, it was like she'd suddenly been transported back to her youngest of years, when she struggled to communicate well with others. She'd been a bit of a crybaby back then, just like Ruby. However, she'd grown out of it. Ruby was too young to remember it, and she would never tell anyone else that little tidbit. "Well isn't that fascinating? Eli tells me that you're quite the fan of her."

"Yes. Yes, I am." Dia finally found her voice, though her hands were still a bit shaky. She had them hidden under the table so that neither Eli nor Nozomi would notice. "She's always been my idol. She inspired me to become one." A chilling sensation went down her spine as she locked eyes with Nozomi. She could tell that Nozomi was looking right into her soul, seeing all that she may try to hide. It was... exciting. To actually have Nozomi Toujou staring into her soul! What an honor!

"I don't blame ya one bit. Elicchi's my favorite idol too." She put an arm around Eli's shoulder, smirking when she saw a hint of pink on her cheeks. At least she hadn't lost her touch. "But I hope you realize that I won't go down without a fight. I won't just give up my wife to you, no matter how much of a fan you are."

"Wh-What? I wasn't- I mean, I- N-No!" Dia sputtered in panic, putting her shaking hands up in a sign of surrender. "I would never attempt to make a pass at Eli! I respect your relationship so much, and I would never do something so uncouth! You two are perfect together! I'm just a fan, I swear!" It was bad enough that Mari was making jokes about that, but Nozomi too? Just because she had idolized Eli didn't mean she wanted to be with her like that!

"But Dia, didn't you want to marry Eli when you were twelve?" Mari couldn't help but to needle her darling girlfriend. Hey, it was getting her out of her stupor, wasn't it?

"Mari, shut up!" Dia's face burned bright red as she glared at Mari, who was trying not to burst out in laughter in the middle of the restaurant. Nozomi watched over the two of them with a knowing smile, feeling as if she'd found a kindred spirit in Mari. As for Eli, she was embarrassed for Dia, having that information put out there and all. This was a familiar scene, though. It was just like watching Umi yelling at Honoka for some inappropriate joke. Maybe all idol groups with nine members were like this.

The waiter saved Dia temporarily by coming up to take their drink orders, but that could only last so long. Once he left, the attention was all focused on Dia, as three pairs of eyes stared at her. She gulped, tugging on her collar nervously. Okay, she just needed to center herself. If she was calm, then she could work the conversation over perfectly. Where was that zen crap that Hanamaru talked about when she needed it?

"So... Do you visit Russia often? I read in an interview that you have Russian heritage, which is really cool! I tried to learn the language, but I wasn't very good at it." She smiled awkwardly, which was better than perpetually frowning. Saying that out loud really hammered home to her that she'd been obsessed with Eli, to the point that she tried to learn a language just because Eli had one family member from that country. Maybe that was why they kept joking about her trying to steal Eli away.

"Not often anymore. Maybe once a year. Tokyo's my home now." She put a hand on Nozomi's, smiling. "Well, wherever she is is my home." How utterly sappy. Nozomi giggled and leaned over to quickly kiss Eli, which enraptured Dia. This was a beautiful, private moment between those two, and she was privy to it. She would never forget it. Actually, it felt just like something she'd write in one of her RPF stories back in middle school.

"Oh, you two should read the fanfiction Dia's- Mmf!" Mari's words were cut off by Dia, who slapped her hand over her mouth. If looks could kill, there was a veritable genocide burning in Dia's eyes.

"Not. Another. Word..."

"Ehehe, it's joke?"

* * *

"Well, that was a lovely dinner." The four of them stood outside the restaurant, bundled up from the cold and comfortably full from their meals. "It was really nice to meet you." That was a sentiment shared by all of them. The conversation had flowed a lot easier once Dia became more comfortable sitting across from her idol. They'd talked about a lot of the different minutiae of idols, swapping stories and enjoying each other's company. It was definitely one of the best days of Dia's life, and she'd never forget it for as long as she lived.

"It was really nice to meet you too." Dia shook hands with Eli, this time without messing it up in some inexplicable way. She'd once heard that one should never meet their heroes, but if that was true, then Eli bucked that trend. There'd been nothing but warmth and kindness from her, and she was everything Dia had expected. She'd even felt a mutual kinship after Nozomi regaled them with the tale of how Eli had tried to eat plastic food, having mistaken it for real food. Having partners who embarrassed them in front of others was a kind of kinship.

"Come visit us again sometime. We'll have you over for a homecooked meal." Nozomi had been a lot of fun to converse with as well. Eli may have been her favorite idol, but she loved all of Muse. Every single member held a special place in her heart, because the group wouldn't have been the same without them. That's why she was eventually able to understand that their breakup was necessary, because Muse without all nine members just wouldn't be Muse. She just had to get through a lot of tears to understand that.

"That's sound delightful!" Both Dia and Mari shook hands with Eli, but Nozomi was a bit more 'hands on'. She wouldn't let them leave without giving both of them a big hug, which was a character trait that Dia had been aware of. Still, she hadn't expected the hug to be so soft. It was like being wrapped up by a memory foam pillow. It left her in a bit of a daze, which she only shook out of once Mari prodded her shoulder with a knowing smirk. Blushing, Dia pretended that she had no idea what Mari was implying.

Before they split up, Dia shyly asked if she could get a picture, which Eli and Nozomi were more than happy to acquiesce to. Dia handed off her phone to Mari so she could take the pictures: one with just Eli, and another with both Eli and Nozomi. Then Mari squeezed in and the four of them took a picture together, with Eli holding the phone out so all of them could fit in-screen. When Dia got her phone back, she held it to her chest, beaming. She had photographic proof that she'd stood next to Eli. Not only that, but Eli had her arm around her shoulders. They'd physically interacted! Eli had even held her phone to take that last picture. Her phone case had been graced by Eli's wonderful fingers. She would never wash it! ... Except that people didn't really wash their phone cases. She was being an overbearing fangirl again...

They waved goodbye, and then the two couples were off, getting into their cars to drive home. Now that it was finally over, Dia couldn't find the proper emotions for what had happened. Her body was still crackling with excitement, as if she was still standing in front of Eli. However, being in the car meant she had to be constrained to her seat via her seatbelt. There was nowhere to go, but she felt too restless to just sit there. She wanted to roll around on her bed and hug her official Eli plush as tightly as she could. She couldn't even call Ruby and tell her what had happened yet, since she knew that she'd want to pace around her room while letting Ruby know every single detail.

"You look like you're gonna jump out of my window." Mari laughed, but she didn't mind that Dia was fidgeting so much next to her. It wasn't a distraction. It was a blessing, really. To see her girlfriend so happy and excited about what had happened made her feel extremely satisfied with her choice to get Eli's location from Kotori. It was totally worth it to see the irrepressible smile on Dia's face. That's what she lived for. "Don't worry. We'll be home soon, and you can freak out properly when we're inside."

"I am not freaking out!" Dia retorted while indeed freaking out. How could she not, though? She wasn't sure how to properly process all that she'd experienced. There was nowhere for her excitement to go, and her nerves were still in there too, jostling about despite there no longer being anything to worry about. It was like her body was a melting pot of hyped-up emotions that weren't doing well at playing along, or understanding that this wasn't the time or place for them. "I'm just... I'm just not sure what to do with all my emotions right now."

"Well, when we get home, you can let them out however you want, and I'll be there to help you get it all out." That seemed like a good idea. It made Dia feel a bit more at ease, but that meant she had space in her mind to remember how all of this was because of Mari. She wouldn't have been able to meet Eli and have such an incredible evening if it wasn't for Mari dragging her over to the dance studio. Sure, she could've just told Dia what was going to happen, but... maybe the surprise actually made it really nice overall... just this once.

"Thank you, Mari. You're... You're really good to me." She blushed, unable to look over at Mari. Her smile made it obvious she was happy, though, if only Mari could actually see it. Which she could, because paying attention to the road was for squares. "That's the best gift anyone could've gotten me, and I mean that. I'm really grateful, and... and I could just kiss you right now, I'm so grateful."

"Well, we are at a red light..." Mari pulled to a stop at the aforementioned red light, glancing over at Dia with a 'come hither' look. Well, she had said she could just kiss her... Shaking her head slightly, Dia smiled as she leaned over and captured Mari's lips with her own. She made sure that all her love and appreciation could be felt in that kiss. Eli would always be her idol, but there was only one blonde that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"Uh, Mari?" Dia mumbled against Mari's lips, seeing green in her peripheral vision. "The light turned green."

"Mmf... All I'm seeing is red, Dia baby." Someone behind them slammed their fist on the horn.

"Mari, the light!"


End file.
